Cubs Win, Take Two of Three from Phillies

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By Fred Mitchell Tribune reporter4:25 p.m. CDT, September 1, 2013

The Cubs won a home game, a series, and their second straight home contest on Sunday.

A 7-1 victory over the Phillies at Wrigley Field accounted for the rare occasion for the Cubs as Jake Arrietta went 6 2/3 strong innings to earn the win in front of 31,859 fans.

The Cubs won two in a row at home for the first time since July 6-9. In fact they won three in a row at Wrigley Field then against the Pirates (2) and Angels (1).

The Cubs took a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning Sunday.

Donnie Murphy singled before Brian Bogusevic hit a ground-rule double to left that stuck in the ivy. With runners on second and third, Welington Castillo hit a two-run double to make it 4-1.

Castillo tagged up and advanced to third on a fly ball by Arrieta. After Starlin Castro was hit by a pitch, Darwin Barney hit a sacrifice fly to right after catcher Erik Kratz was unable to hold on to the throw from rightfielder Darin Ruf.

The Cubs had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Ryan Sweeney lofted a soft two-out single to left to score Barney, who had singled and moved to second after a walk to Anthony Rizzo.

Rizzo delivered an RBI double in the third inning to put the Cubs ahead 2-0. Castro had led off with an infield singled before Rizzo’s one-out two-base hit brought him home.

The Phillies cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning when Ruf hit his 12th home run of the season into the leftfield bleachers basket to make it 2-1.

The Cubs activated Sweeney and third baseman Luis Valbuena (strained right oblique) before the game. Reliever Eduardo Sanchez was designated for assignment and pitcher Alberto Cabrera was recalled from Triple A Iowa.

Valbuena pinch-hit in the eighth inning Sunday and drew a bases-loaded walk that put the Cubs ahead 6-1.

Sweeney, who had been rehabbing a cracked rib, said he would run through a brick wall again if he had to.

“Let’s hope his elbow doesn’t get in the way of his ribs this time,” manager Dale Sveum said with a chuckle. “It’s nice to have those guys back. Obviously, you’ve got the left-handed bats in there. The outfield probably will be a little bit of a rotational type through the last month. With (Junior) Lake, Sweeney, (Brian) Bogusevic…

“(Nate) Schierholtz probably will play most of the time, especially against righties. And the other guys will kind of rotate.” Sweeney was in the starting lineup Sunday in centerfield. Schierholtz was in rightfield and Bogusevic in left.

Arrieta, who was the Orioles’ 2013 opening day pitcher, was acquired on July 2 with reliever Pedro Strop and two international bonus slots (3 and 4), in exchange for pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger.

Arrieta had allowed four or more walks in five of his previous nine starts this season with the Cubs and Orioles.

“It’s a power arm with a power slider,” Sveum said of Arrieta’s attributes. “He’s a big guy, good athlete. He can do things on the mound that he is probably still learning against big-league hitters…how to get ahead (in the count) and not step on his own feet, as well. The walks are the biggest thing we’ve just got to cut down. With that kind of arm and ability, you’ve got to make them put the ball in play.”

Manager Ryne Sandberg’s Phillies traded infielder Michael Young and cash considerations to the Dodgers after Saturday’s game. In exchange, the Phillies received minor league lefthanded pitcher Rob Rasmussen.